74 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



with. This shows an encouraging in- 

 crease of business. 



Of the membership reported by the 

 Special Emergency Bulletin of February 

 1st the following statement was then 

 made: 



"NEW MEMBERS Enrolled: edu- 

 cational, with payment of dues 532 ; edu- 

 cational only, 538. Total, 1070 



"In addition there are our older mem- 

 bers, and many hundreds unenrolled, af- 

 filiated members ; also many co-workers 

 whose interests center in The Guide to 

 Nature, and yet are not officially en- 

 rolled. I estimate that including all the 

 above and our former members, we aid 

 and influence more than 10,000 every 

 month. The number benefitted by Arca- 

 dia, in other journalistic work for young 

 folks, is probably more than ten times 

 the above." 



Since then we have enrolled 54 new 

 members, thus making a total enrollment 

 of "regular," recent, active members of 

 1124. This number does not include the 

 "older members" nor those merely "af- 

 filiated." 



Among these most recent additions to 

 our membership, I take especial pleasure 

 in reporting to you Mr. R. L. Agassiz, 

 grandson of the famous scientist whose 

 name we bear. We now have enrolled 

 four members of the Agassiz family. 



But encouraging as all this is, I feel 

 that we are but at the beginning of 

 greater achievements. Even more than 

 what it has done, do the reasonable pos- 

 sibilities make me enthusiastic and de- 

 voted to our beloved Association. I long 

 to see the New Era of greater achieve- 

 ments. It is twenty-one years this spring 

 since I began active work in the AA. 

 My experience has "become of age." I 

 am ready now for the full grown adult 

 work, and to that end I solicit the contin- 

 ued support and cooperation of you, my 

 fellow Trustees, and of our membership 

 of all ages in all places. Our work is 

 world-wide, never ending, and limited 

 only by its facilities and resources. 

 Cordially and enthusiastically yours, 

 Edward F. Bigelow, 



President. 



A Special Calamity Report. 



To the Trustees, Members and Friends 

 of the AA: 



It is my painful duty to inform you 

 that The Agassiz Association is re- 

 quested to vacate its present premises,, 

 known as Arcadia and held for two- 

 years by a gift lease from one of our 

 members, whose name is not pub- 

 lished, according to his request made 

 at the time of the offer. This offer 

 (see letter of November 25, 1908, fol- 

 lowing) was to supply better "facili- 

 ties for the conduct of your work," and 

 the condition for even a better and 

 permanent home, "If .... your benef- 

 icent work grows and spreads itself." 



The adverse judgment on the experi- 

 ment is most astonishingly based on 

 the fact that your president has work- 

 ed without "adequate compensation"' 

 to himself and family in addition to^ 

 the fact that the AA is in debt to him' 

 for cash. 



That there be no misunderstanding 

 in the matter, and in justice to the 

 many contributors to the equipment 

 and work of Arcadia, I feel it my duty 

 to publish extracts from the corres- 

 pondence with our kind benefactor,, 

 omitting as much as possible the parts 

 that are wholly personal. 

 THE OFFER. 



November 25, 1908 "As 



the Scotch say, 'T'is a far cry to Loch 

 Awe,' and so also the first of April' 

 next is some distance off, but things in 

 Sound Beach are already 'humming.'' 

 The land is being drained to make it 

 sweet and wholesome for the founda- 

 tion of the little hive of industry I am 

 going to erect, and my architect, not 

 yours, is already employed to assist 

 me with information and advice, which 

 I do not myself possess, but I do know 

 my purposes, and am going to carry 

 them out in my own way. The end of 

 it. or the beginning, according as you 

 phrase it, will be that on the first of 

 April, 1909, or a week or two before, 

 I shall offer you and your family for 

 two years, rent free, except as to the 

 dollar a year I shall charge you be- 

 cause of the legal consideration, such 

 a home and conveniences as you never 

 yet, in your life, or in theirs, have oc- 



